Next
week, countdowns will ring through the air. Rocket engines will spark to life
and roar. Prototype spaceships will fly and vie for cash prizes.

All
manner of rocket, be it strap on, ride in, or a project-in-progress, will be found at the
Wirefly X Prize Cup being staged October 20-21 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Las Cruces International Airport, roughly seven miles from the center of the city, is home
base for this year's Cup.

"The
goal of the X Prize Cup is to create an event that actually attracts real
spaceships and demonstrates them in front of the crowds," observed Peter
Diamandis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the X Prize Foundation of
Santa Monica, California. "This year's Cup has $2.5 million in prize money up
for grabs."

The
Cup this year is also themed as "Moon 2.0", Diamandis said, given NASA's
commitment to the Moon, Mars and beyond vision agenda and a space
agency-sponsored $2 million Lunar Lander Competition.

"There
will be a large amount of educational and display content looking back at
Apollo and forward...towards both the public and private return to the Moon,"
Diamandis told SPACE.com.

Looking
out into the coming years, the X Prize Cup will expand even further, with more
rockets, multiple flights and finals of the Rocket Racing League X-Racers,
amateur rocket flights crafted by people from all over the world, as well as
actual races to space.

Keep on trucken'

"Rocketizing"
various modes of transportation--be it a bicycle or a 2003 Chevy SS--is the
propulsion province of Tim Pickens, president of Orion Propulsion in Madison, Alabama.

For
the Rocket Truck at the upcoming Cup, Pickens and his team are using an asphalt
and nitrous-oxide-powered hybrid rocket engine. It spits out 2,750 pounds of thrust,
enough to give the driver and co-pilot a nice kick in the coveralls.

The
rocket engine is run by a hand-held gaming controller--a user-friendly and
ergonomic device. Another Rocket Truck add-on are dash-mounted LCD screens
providing the pilot and co-pilot a view of the firing engine, adding to the
ballistic buzz one gets from riding in the Rocket Truck.

"We
have had several motor firings for the full 10-second duration," Pickens told SPACE.com.
Miltec of Huntsville, Alabama is a major sponsor/contributor to the Rocket
Truck project, he added.

"The
truck is still in progress," Pickens added, "and we are adding safety...as well
as fun hardware to it daily."

The
Rocket Truck has been a labor of love with the hybrid motor and system built
using all volunteer labor on weekends and at night, Pickens said. The truck
hybrid motor firings demonstrate serious rocket propulsion hardware -
showcasing simplicity and easy to turnaround technology for many firings.

"This
is a great way for us to show young folks how exciting rockets and engineering
can be," Pickens said.

Belted for sky travel

X
Prize Cup onlookers are to be treated to repeat takeoffs of rocketbelt pilot
Dan Schlund, Director of Operations of Powerhouse Productions Inc. He will be
flying overhead on opening day of the two-day program of events.

Schlund
said rocketbelt flights will be broadcast live via X Prize webcast. The up, up,
up and away flights also make use of special on-board cameras showing the
pilot's point of view shooting through the sky.

The
Wirefly X Prize Cup is a trio of performances that Schlund has been looking
forward to for a few years now. "We are excited about the opportunity to
fly...and meet so many rocket enthusiasts," but added: "Don't forget your ear
plugs."

Schlund
is flying three different flight patterns at the Cup.

"This
is going to be the most action packed day of my career. I will be carrying
special on-board cameras for the Jumbotron and webcast. And best of all...I get
to meet all those rocket geeks like me."

Rocketbelt
flying is not for the faint of heart.

"I
would lie if I said I didn't get nervous. The truth is, even after a hundred
flights, I still get the butterflies something fierce," Schlund admitted to SPACE.com.
"I've done stunt work for years and this is the most intense, exhilarating and
difficult thing I have ever done. Prayer is definitely part of my check list!"

For
details on how a rocketbelt works and other related news, Schlund has a special
website loaded with fun facts at: www.rocketman.org